Israeli forces detain Palestinians, including women and children, in Qalqiliya-area village

March 3, 2017 6:21 P.M. (Updated: March 6, 2017 8:24 P.M.)

QALAILIYA (Ma’an) --Israeli forces detained a group of Palestinians, including women and children, on Friday while they were on their lands in the village of Azzun in the northern West Bank district of Qalqiliya.

Hassan Shibita, the media coordinator of the village, told Ma’an that Israeli forces had detained Samir Mahmoud Shibita, Omar Muin Hussein, six children, and a number of other Palestinians.

He added that later in the day another group of farmers, including women, were detained in the village, noting that Israeli soldiers took the cellphones of the detainees and bystanders and deleted photos of the detention process.

Shibita said that the two groups detained by Israeli forces have yet to be released.

Local sources told Ma’an that there were no clashes at the time of the detentions, adding that Israeli forces were attempting to provoke the Palestinians in the village.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an she would look into reports.

According to prisoners’ rights group Addameer, 6,500 Palestinians were being held in Israeli detention as of January, 353 of whom were women and children.